


Masks and Pastries

by WordsFromAsh



Series: Chrobin Week 2015 [5]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Chrobin Week 2015, Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff, Holidays, Mother-Daughter Relationship, New Years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-11
Updated: 2015-12-11
Packaged: 2018-05-06 05:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5404577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WordsFromAsh/pseuds/WordsFromAsh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucina, still under the mask and persona of Marth, walked through the crowded streets of Ylisstol's winter holiday festivities. She did not expect to see Chrom and Robin among the crowd, but she did. And instead of disappearing with speaking little to none like all the other times they've crossed paths, she finds herself indulging them in conversation.</p><p>Or, in which Lucina longs for her family again and witnesses the beginning of her parents' feelings for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masks and Pastries

**Author's Note:**

> Chrobin Week, Day 5: Holidays

Lucina clutched her cloak tighter against her chest in sorry hopes to block the northern winds that brought Feroxi weather with it. Even with the heavy wool that fell down to her ankles and was impractical for battle, and the crowded streets she pushed through, she felt the chill bite at her and prick her cheeks until they were pink and raw.

It was a marvel that anyone would brave the cold on an evening such as this with the air sharp against her throat and a crispness that warned of the snow to come.

Of course, Ylisstol was never a city to deny a celebration because of some ill weather before, especially during the holidays. Snow wasn’t an uncommon occurrence during the middle of winter, but compared to the capitol’s usual balmy weather during other seasons, the winter chill always struck Lucina hard.

But, she had to admit the cold air somehow made the lanterns that lined the street shine brighter and more brilliant as the dusk drew into night. It made the peals of laughter and wonderful cacophony of different songs from street performers sound clearer. And instead of making people curl into themselves for warmth, it seemed to make them seek others out for it. Everyone was out for the festival-like celebrations that started on Aunt Emmeryn’s birthday and lasted until the dawn of the New Year.

She side-stepped out of the way of two children weaving through the crowd with no care of who they knocked into. Masks adorned their faces. She smiled at the two and felt a pang of longing for Morgan, wherever he might have landed in this time. He always loved the holidays and agonized over the perfect gifts for their parents who claimed they had all they needed just by having two perfect children. Their mother always placed a bow on their foreheads to emphasize that point before tapping them on the nose.

Lucina reached a hand out of her pocket. She pushed her mask up with the back of her hand in order to wipe her eyes and then resituated it so it rested snug. She allowed herself one sniffle before she wiped the back of her hand across her nose as well.

She couldn’t afford to become emotional over memories. Not when she had only two months until the snow thawed enough for Plegia to pass the borders and execute their plan to assassinate Exalt Emmeryn. It was a stupid idea to visit the streets’ festivities in the first place when she knew it would only lead to distractions. Shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her cloak, she tipped her head down ready to return to the abandoned house she squatted in.

“ _Chrom_ ,” a voice rose above the din of music and gossip. Lucina paused mid-step and twirled in place to find the owner of the familiar voice. At first she thought she might have just heard things, but then she heard him as well: “—n’t say my name so loud! Let’s—“

Lucina stood on her tip-toes and craned her neck up in an attempt to see over the crowd. She shook her head, careful not to do so too hard that the pins fell out of her hair. And then she saw a flash of long white hair bob in the crowd just on the opposite side of the street and she knew it was them. And against her better judgement, followed behind them.

She stopped where the crowd thinned out some along the edge of the street. An older couple still bumped into her and she muttered a half-hearted apology, but otherwise was completely engrossed in the scene before her.

Two stands down, at a vendor selling masks and jewelry, were her parents. Her mother’s back was towards her. Her white hair pulled back into a ponytail with her decorative braids more elaborate than usual. Her father faced Lucina’s direction. Winter garb hid their usual attire and her father kept a wide hood up and over his hair, but Lucina would recognize them anywhere. She searched the crowd for any other Shepherds but saw no familiar faces. Not even Frederick who must have had to choose which charge to oversee: Chrom or Lissa.

Robin’s hair swayed back and forth across her back when she shook her head. Chrom wrinkled his nose at whichever one she picked for herself. The next set of masks they tried on were selected by one for the other and left them both in laughter. They shuffled through the masks quickly, always turning to the other for an opinion.

Lucina stepped closer so that she stood behind the slim post of the vendor next to the one her parents stood at. She strained to hear their conversation better over the swells of other passing conversations.

“It looks like you’re wearing an actual bird on your face,” Robin snorted at the bushy raven feather mask Chrom wore. Her mother turned on her heel and untied the dark purple mask she wore before plucking up another, this time white with strings of beads hanging from it, and held it up to her face. “This one?”

“It does not.” He said indignantly like a pouting child and then glanced at her. “Oh _gods_ no. You look like a tacky chandelier.”

Robin lowered the mask and with her free hand punched Chrom playfully in the arm. “Since I obviously have no acquired taste, why don’t you pick one out?”

He laughed and put his arms up in defeat. Even with his dark mask and the distance between them and her, Lucina could see her father’s attention was focused on Robin, and Robin only. Not for the first time, she found herself wondering when exactly her parents fell in love with each other. If they had already realized it, or if they already had subconsciously and not come to realize it until later.

“If that means the quicker we can get food, then fine,” he said and picked through some, paused occasionally, and continued still.

Robin spun back around to drop the white mask down and pick up a different one. As she sifted through the colors and designs, she looked up in Lucina’s direction like something caught the corner of her eye but thankfully only seemed to notice a necklace hanging from the stall. Until, of course, her eyes trailed up further and their eyes met. Robin’s mouth dropped into a little ‘o’ of recognition, but Chrom called her attention away with a pale gold mask that tickled at Lucina’s memories and he wore a proud expression at his accomplishment.

Lucina froze and felt the anxiety of being spotted gnaw at her stomach, never so thankful for her father more than right then. Logic told her she needed to leave before Chrom noticed her as well, but her body listened to her childish emotions that longed for her parents and told her to stay. After all, how long had it been since she saw them happy and free from burdens?

Her mother always did say she was a hopeless romantic just like her father.

Robin accepted the mask and said something too quiet for Lucina to make out. Whatever it was, it sent Chrom off down the street, feathered mask hiding more of his identity from the public. Alone, her mother pulled out a few coins from the pouch she carried on her waist and dropped them into the merchant’s hand. She nodded her thanks and then casually stepped closer to Lucina, feigning interest for the items sold at the stand Lucina stood at.

Carefully, as if she had just come across a hibernating bear instead of her mother, Lucina took a small step backwards.

“Please don’t run off just yet,” Robin called out though her eyes still skimmed the items on display. She took another step closer that caused Lucina to gulp. “I was not aware you dwelled in Ylisstol, Marth,” she said casually. Her eyes flicked up from the stand’s goods and focused on Lucina. A kind smile graced her face.

“I was,” Lucina stopped and grimaced at her mistake. She cleared her throat. “I was,” she repeated, but this time in the rough tone she saved for Marth, “just on my way. I apologize for intruding upon your night.”

Lucina gave a respectful nod to dismiss herself, cursing herself on how foolish she was to let her yearning overpower her own set rule of limited, preferably no, interaction with their parents’ past selves. Engaging with them on the field of battle was one thing. Purposely seeking them out in daily life simply to indulge her wish to see them happy together was another. To pretend that they were all a family again and taking part of the joy of the season _together._

Before she could take another step backwards, Robin reached out and laid a hand on Lucina’s arm. It would have been easy to just step back out of arm’s reach of the tactician and continue her escape, but Lucina froze. Her breath hitched. It was the first time she held physical contact with her mother since all those years ago when Robin squeezed her into a hard hug before following Chrom off to Valm and right into their early graves.

Lucina couldn’t just brush off her mother’s hand. No, no. She could never do that. The gesture washed her over with familiar comfort and warmth. A reminder of what once was and what now was missing from her life. It reminded her of the warm summer days where she’d run around with Morgan and have their father chase after them. How she’d hide behind her mother’s legs and ask for her to protect them so they wouldn’t get eaten by the “monster” chasing them.

And so she instead tilted her chin up and looked out past Robin’s shoulder.

“You’ve done nothing of the sort. And if you’re looking for Chrom, I sent him off to go get the food he says I just _need_ to try. Apparently the papaw tarts are _to die for,”_ Robin said with the roll of her eye, but the fond smile spoke otherwise.

It was hard for Lucina not to smile at the comment. It was such a foreign concept to her that her mother had yet to try a papaw tart. Not when, in the future, it was Robin’s favorite treat during the winter months.

Robin’s hand fell from where it had sat on Lucina’s arm. And immediately Lucina wished that didn’t have to happen because the chill of the wind already began to sweep her mother’s warmth and contact away from her. "I thought you’d be more open to conversation if it was an even playing field instead of two against one. And since it appears I’ve caught you in a rare charitable moment with your words,” A smirk overtook her features over the fact that her tactics worked, but it quickly dispersed into something else more motherly. “May I inquire a single question? About your health?” 

Lucina blinked, not prepared for that to be the question, of all questions, to be asked. “My health?”

Her mother nodded. “Back in the arena. You took a heavy blow and Khan Basilio told us you left as soon as the match was called. Not even he saw you make your way out.” Her eyes rested on Lucina’s side where she had taken the hit. And then she looked back up at Lucina, right into her eyes like the mask did not exist. Her brows furrowed in concern. “You had us all worried.”

A lump formed in Lucina’s throat. She was a stranger to her mother. A presumable man that spoke with his blade instead of his mouth, but she still held an unfathomable amount of care towards her. It was true, the injury was bad. Her entire right side was one large, black bruise, splotched with green, purple, and yellow. At one point she feared she had fractured a rib or two…. “I’m fine. I- I took care of it on my own. Thank you for your concern.”

“Of course, but….”Her voice was strained, as if she was struggling internally about something else she wanted to say. Her forehead wrinkled with worry and her eyes, still concerned, narrows as she concentrated as if she was devising a plan.

The two of them stood there, both waiting for the rest of the words to come. Lucina wondered what she did to incite this.

“Robin!”

Lucina tensed. 

Robin twisted around to view Chrom, slowing to a stop just behind her with desserts in hand. “And Marth?” he said, unsure. He pushed his mask up onto his forehead, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Lucina cleared her throat and stood straighter. If she looked the part and sounded the part, then maybe she could do her part and leave easily and with the least amount of regret on her part. “I was just going.” She nodded once to Chrom and then to Robin.

She lingered briefly, giving Robin the chance to say whatever it was she started to. When nothing was said, Lucina bowed her head again and turned to leave. She was a few strides away when she heard Robin call out, “Wait!”

And unlike all the prior times where Lucina continued on with her quick escapes, she paused, grounded both her feet to the ground, and turned around. She inclined her head to tell Robin to continue.

Robin took a tentative step forward and was hesitant as she spoke. “Marth, for future reference - I know you work alone, but just… know that you don’t have to. Speaking upon experience, it’s nice to know you have others looking out for you.” She glanced back at Chrom. “Nice to know you have somewhere you belong at the end of the day. I’m sure Chrom will agree with me when I say, you’re always welcome to join the Shepherds. If you want.”

Lucina’s lips parted at that and tears blurred her vision. All the same, she looked back to Chrom who only gave a firm nod of confirmation. Lucina bowed her head and closed her eyes. The warmth she felt earlier when Robin reached out to her refilled her entire being once again. “Thank you. I’ll… keep that in mind.”

As she turned to leave, she caught Robin presenting her mask to Chrom so that he could tie the black silk ribbons for her and secure the mask in place. The mask that was a soft gold with a simple pattern along the edges of the face of it. And finally, Lucina realized why it was so familiar.  Lucina smiled into her scarf and paused her departure a second time. This time to address her father. “You have good taste,” she said and gestured to the object in question.

The comment took a moment to register before Chrom adopted a smug grin and nudged Robin with his arm. Robin, who merely rolled her eyes again. But there was that fond smile again as well. And sometime in the future, when they had their Lucina of this timeline, that Lucina would stare in awe at her mother’s case of jewelry befit for only a Queen. And nestled inside that case, next to the crown Robin would wear for official formalities, would sit the soft gold mask, cheap, but more precious than all those other jewels.


End file.
